1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a torque detector, and more particularly to a torque detector including a torque beam unit that is at least partially flexible to allow for relative rotation between an input body and an output body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional torque detector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,966 includes a pair of input and output shafts 11, 12 that extend along an axis 10, a sleeve 13 that has an internally splined portion engaging an externally splined portion of the input shaft 11 and that is movable relative to the output shaft 12 along the axis 10, and a sensor 14 connected to the sleeve 13 for detecting the displacement amount of the sleeve 13.
When a torque is applied to rotate the input shaft 11 relative to the output shaft 12, the angular displacement of the input shaft 11 is converted into movement of the sleeve 13 along the axis 10, which can be detected by the sensor 14.
However, since the angular displacement of the input shaft 11 is converted into the movement of the sleeve 13 through a spline arrangement including the internally splined portion and the externally splined portion, the entire structure of the conventional torque detector gets complicated, thereby resulting in increased manufacturing costs.